(Oct. 31 is the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway. Part one of two parts)

In driving the Lincoln Highway over the past two years, the final portion I tackled could be considered the beginning – from New York to Chicago.

But the highway that was dedicated 100 years ago next month was built out of scattered pieces that were slowly connected in no particular order. That's how I drove it most of the time.

In the East, the highway followed long-established routes, some dating to George Washington's time. But by the time I was in Ohio, the many versions hopscotched north and south, with one called “the zigzag.”

I had just over a week to make the nearly 1,000-mile drive from New York to Chicago. That's a lot of ground to cover and do much sightseeing. Though slower and more scenic than today's interstates, the Lincoln Highway was built to move people along. That's what I often had to do.

So this is my drive, not a guidebook of the Lincoln Highway. There were times I arrived at sites too early or too late. Not every moment on a trip can be Saturday at 2 p.m. The clock and the climate didn't always cooperate. But it was a journey I enjoyed and would love to take again.

New York

Manhattan, New York City

Starting point and odometer reading: Times Square, 0 miles

Look for: There is a small brown “Lincoln Highway” sign on a lamp pole near the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway, but it's easy to miss amid the neon and skyscrapers. The original ferry connection to New Jersey is long gone, but Waterway Ferry goes from the pier at 39th Street to Weehawken, N.J. Otherwise take the George Washington Bridge, or the Holland or Lincoln tunnel.

Eat or sleep: Coppelia, a Latin-Cuban restaurant with checkered tile floors and a retro vibe. Steaks and plantains.

Notes from the road: New York has the shortest section of the Lincoln Highway – just a few blocks from Times Square to the Hudson River. Ironic that this great “road trip” of more than 3,300 miles begins with a traffic jam in midtown Manhattan and a ferry ride.

A Lincoln Highway mural near Schellsburg, PA. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Columbia-Wrightsville bridge over the Susquehanna river in Pennsylvania was the Lincoln Highway route across the river starting in 1930. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A Civil War re-enactor on the battlefield in Gettysburg, PA. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The World's Largest Teapot in Chester, WV. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Mid town Manhattan seen looking east from the Weehawken/Port Imperial Ferry on the Hudson River. Crossing the Hudson River by ferry was a necessity for early travelers. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A Lincoln Highway Historic Byway sign near a cornfield in rural Western Ohio. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A view of downtown Chicago, IL seen from North Beach Pier in Chicago. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The 1915 route of the Lincoln Highway in Fort Wayne, IN. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Robert Kane, lumberjack, lobsterman, and outdoorsman at the Ogle County Fair near Oregon, Illinois. Hometown is Novia Scotia, Canada. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An Amish family heads to church on a Sunday morning in Strasburg, PA. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A Lincoln Highway marker on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River near Trenton, NJ. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A riveted steel bridge on the Lincoln Highway on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River near Trenton, NJ. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Independence Hall in downtown Philadelphia, PA. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Haines Shoe House in Hellam, PA on the Lincoln Highway. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A mural in downtown York, PA pays homage to York Barbell Company, based in town. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The intersection of PA route 914, south of Chambersburg. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Coffee Pot in Bedford, PA is 18 feet tall and was built in 1927. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A Historic Byway marker for the Lincoln Highway near Minerva, OH. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tom Pesta walks his dog on Riverview in Cuyahoga National Park, OH, at sunset during a summer rainstorm. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Kewpee hamburger drive through in Lima, OH. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A statue of The Blues Brothers at the The Joliet Historical Museum in Joliet, IL. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Downtown DeKalb, Illinois STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A rusted Cadillac sits parked in front of a barn off the Lincoln Highway in Western Illinois. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Lynn Asp, who manages the Lincoln Highway Association headquarters in Franklin Grove, IL. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Old gas pumps at the Youngville Cafe in Iowa STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A car drives by at night near the town of Strabsurg, PA in the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Pro Football Hall of Fame outside of Canton, OH. STUART PALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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